More March Updates

Still going strong on the book! In the meantime,  there are lots of great events this month for artists!

Shanta Nurullah will be performing at the Old Town School of Folk Music for her album release Sitarsys on March 26th at 3pm. More information: http://www.oldtownschool.org/concerts/2017/03-26-2017-shanta-nurullahs-sitarsys-album-release-3pm/

At the Chicago Cultural Center right now, there is the great exhibition "50 by 50 Invitational / The Subject is Chicago: People, Places, Possibilities" with each ward of Chicago's fifty wards is represented by a different artists. Iwona Biedermann's incredible photography is representing ward 1. Check it out before it closes on April 9th: https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/50_50.html

On March 17th, Jamie O'Reilly will be putting on a St. Patrick's day concert at Wishbone North, 3300 N Lincoln. For more information, http://www.jamieoreilly.com/production/dates/

That's just a few amazing events in the month of March!

Upcoming Shows and Events

It's been a few very busy weeks. I've been traveling and enjoying seeing women artists in China. I had the opportunity to go to the Liuli Museum in Shanghai. It was started by Chang Yi and Loretta Yang and showcases amazing glass art. There was a special exhibition of glass pieces by Toot Zynsky. My friend described them best: "It's like the glass version of Georgia O'Keefe." She beautifully created these bold colorful vase like structures that are composed of tiny fiber optic sized strings of glass. Astonishing. In their permanent collection, Loretta Yang displays her ethereal pieces influenced by Buddhism. 

Read more about the museum and the collection here: http://www.liulichinamuseum.com/sc/index_en.aspx

On Tuesday, July 19th, Maggie Brown will perform at the Museum of Contemporary Art for Tuesdays on the Terrace starting at 5:30 to 8pm. It'll be amazing! More info: https://mcachicago.org/Calendar/2016/07/Maggie-Brown

Lucy Smith and her quartet are performing from 6 to 7pm on Thursday, July 21st at Washington Square Park. 

In Chicago Art News, Claire Pentecoast is in a group show Petcoke: Tracing Dirty Energy at the Museum of Contemporary Photography. The opening is Thursday, July 21st at 5pm and runs through October 9th. Find out more at:  http://www.mocp.org/events/event?id=686690

59!

Just a quick note. I completed the 59th interview this past week with Dawn Xiana Moon, singer, songwriter, bellydancer, and more. You can check out her group Raks Geek here: http://raksgeek.com/  for amazing bellydancing with a geek culture theme! 

This weekend, I also had the pleasure of seeing Honey Pot Performance's Ma(s)king Her at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. I've talked about this group and work previously; I interviewed Meida Teresa McNeal, Executive Director and Artistic Director, for the project and the Vocalo piece. The work was the result of several workshops held in the fall at the Washington Park Arts Incubator, other universities and colleges and more. The piece was inspired by Afro-Surrealism and Afro-feminist thought. It was a moving and powerful modern fairytale. I'm quite pleased that I had the chance to check it out. Below are some photos from the performance. 

Honey Pot Performnace

Honey Pot Performance 

That's all for now!

Updates and News

I completed 56 interviews today. I met with the extraordinary Ruth Kaufman, voice over and on camera talent and a romance novelist. It was an insightful conversation.

We are getting close to the end of the interview portion. Only a few more interviews in the works! Soon I'll begin the editing and promotion process for the final product. So stay tuned!

Upcoming events and projects by women in the project:

Shanta Nurullah, storyteller and musician, will be performing in Classic Black: Southern Roots, Urban Migrations at the Pegasus Theater on Friday, March 25 at 7:30. The Theater at the Chicago Dramatists is at 1105 W. Chicago Avenue, Suite 202. The admission is $10. You should check it out.

Lucy Knisley will be publishing her book: Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride on May 3 about her experiences planning her wedding. I'm really keen to read this since I love Knisley's work and I have strong feelings about wedding planning. You can preorder  it  here: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781626722491

That's all for now!

Interview with Yoko Noge

Back in August, I had the real pleasure of sitting down with the blues singer and pianist Yoko Noge. I had seen her play blues at the Art Institute many years ago and recently at the Ginza Festival in Lincoln Park. Below is a small portion of the incredible interview that we had.

I asked her to describe her work. She told me, “I’ve tried to make people happy. Music is something in me and I have to release it. I’ve been singing since I was 18/19 years old as a professional. Neither fame nor money has been my first priority. That’s not my purpose of playing music or singing. The reasoning for doing it is [that] I just have to do it. I’m happy when I believe I can make people happy listening to my music. Life is very tough sometimes for all of us and we need something to put our mind away. I can do that with my music for myself and for somebody else and that’s why I do it.”

I asked her what it was like to come to Chicago to see the blues scene year after she had established herself as a blues singer in Japan. Yoko Noge told me, “People are awfully nice and welcoming. I didn’t expect that openness of people, so it was very happy experience.  I didn’t think of myself singing on the stage of Chicago, I was there to observe and see the scenes. So when they said, ”Yoko sing. You are a singer, right? You sing.” I was like: “What? I can’t do that.” But they persuaded me, so I sung and they liked it. The other time, I had my ex-husband who was a blues’ guitar player, Japanese blues’ guitar player, I had a band with him in Japan. He became side guitar player for Willie Kent Band. I was a guest singer for the band. Here and there, they gave me a little bit of money. When they gave me $20, it was a big deal for me. Wow! And when I went to over to Maxwell Street before they moved, they had had always street band, right. So I joined them and sung with them and tips always came in, so they wanted me to come back week and week, so I did that.”

That’s just a small part of our interview. Check out Yoko Noge’s website and Facebook for upcoming performances, music, and much more: 

https://www.facebook.com/yokonoge

http://yokonoge.com/

Yoko Noge and her band at the Ginza Festival in August 2015

Upcoming Art Events!

Lots of exciting events coming up!

Gabriella Boros will have several pieces up in several shows in Chicagoland and Milwaukee. Her piece “Crowding Out the Gift Horse” is in a show at Nixie Gallery in Skokie, 7925 Lincoln (just south of Oakton Street). The show opened on the 23rd and will end on February 12th. Check out the gallery website for more information: http://www.nixiegallery.com

Gabriella Boros has work in another show at the Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights, 1527 Otto Boulevard as part of the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Show. The opening is Friday the 29th from 6 to 9. Check out more information here: http://www.unionstreetgallery.org/

She has three prints from “Going Viral” in the show “Intimate Systems” at 100state, 30 West Mifflin, 6th floor, Madison, Wisconsin. The show opens on February 6th from 1-5. For more information, check out: http://100state.com/

Tomeka Reid, cellist extraordinaire, will be performing on February 17th at 7pm at the Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Arts in Evanston as part of A Feast of Astonishments, an exhibition about Charlotte Moorman, “a groundbreaking, rule-bending artist, musician, and advocate for the experimental art of her time.” It should be an amazing performance and exhibition. Check out more information: http://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/muse/Participate/2016/charlotte-moorman-opening.html

Hull House Museum still has “Into Body Into Wall” exhibit up featuring The 96 Acres Project with Maria Gaspar. It’s up until February 29th. The project “uses the wall of Cook County Jail to look at architectures of power and incarceration. The project investigates the wall as a social, political, psychological and physical frame, imagines and reflects on new alternatives, and grapples with personal stories from both sides of the wall.” Check out more information here: http://www.hullhousemuseum.org/intobody/

Honey Pot Performance with Meida Teresa McNeal  will be presented /Shift/: First Annual Benefit Gala to support future performances of HPP on February 27th. The event will take place at Stony Island Arts Bank at 6:30pm. Check out the website: http://honeypotperformance.virb.com/

DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis

Next Saturday, January 16, Maggie Brown, singer, educator and oral history participant, will be featured with Ari Brown at Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic in the show "DuSable to Obama; Chicago's Black Metropolis," at the South Side Cultural Center at 9pm.

It should be an incredible show! You should all check it out!

For more information, check out: http://www.chicagojazzphilharmonic.org/?mc_cid=0d7eb89b09&mc_eid=70e9fedf73

The following Saturday, January 23rd, Shu Shubat, another incredible participant of the project, and other talented musicians will be holding EarthGong Bath: Dream In at the South Chicago Cultural Center at 4pm. "The candlelit evening will begin with the delicate and ethereal “Ringing of the Bells” ceremony to usher in dreams and intentions for the coming year, followed by an extended EarthGong Bath, a Lullaby and a Samulnori drumming performance with our musical guests." I'm really looking forward to it.

For more information, check out the Chicago Parks Foundation website: http://www.chicagoparksfoundation.org/event/earthgong-bath-dream-in/

Upcoming Events

Exciting events around town!

I am pleased to announce that AAUW will be hosting its third Jane Addams Day Celebration at Hull House (Resident's Dining Hall) staring performer/songwriter Kristin Lems on December 5th at 2pm.   She will share stories about her family’s experiences with Jane Addams and perform songs written about the life of
Jane Addams. Join us for a historic Jane Addams’ speech and song! The event will
conclude with lemonade and cookies. Come and celebrate this amazing woman with  AAUW! 

For more information check out the Facebook invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/1634847263465352/

****************************************************************************************************

Also Kristin Lems has a new CD out: You, Me, and All of the Above. It has great songs including a song about Captain Streeter and Carl the Guinea Hen. Check it out here: 

http://www.kristinlems.com/you_me_and_all_of_the_above1/

*************************************************************************************************

Jamie O'Reilly, performer, producer, and huge supporter of this project, has re-released her incredible CD I Know Where I am Going. Check it out here:

 http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jamieoreilly5

There are two upcoming shows with the CD release: 

On Thursday, November 19th, at the Veteran's Room in Oak Park, IL, Jamie O'Reilly, Peter Swanson, Michael Smith, and reader Belinda Bremner will perform "I Know Where I'm Going," an evening of Irish Songs and Poetry.
More information:  http://oppl.org/events/friends-library-folk-music-concert-jamie-oreilly?ajax=1

On Wednesday, December 2nd, there will be a Christmas Show at Chief O’Neill’s PubWith Jamie O’Reilly. Peter Swenson, Michael Smith, Belinda Bremner and surprise guests!
More information at: http:chiefoneillspub.com

For more information about these events, check out Jamie O'Reilly's website: http://www.jamieoreilly.com/jamies-november-e-news-concerts-1119-122-radio-cds/

************************************************************************************************************

Mary Ellen Croteau is also having a solo show at the Harold Washington Library 8th floor gallery starting November 13th until January 15th. Check out more information: http://www.maryellencroteau.net/mec_website/Whats_New.html

Upcoming Art Events

October is going to be an exciting month. So many artists will be opening their work. Here are two of many events featuring artists who have participated in the project.

First, Yoko Noge and Jazz Me Blues will play a free concert at International House, University of Chicago, 1414 E. 59th Street at 5:30 on Friday 2nd. The event is co-sponsored by International House Global Voices Program.

For more information, check out: http://ihouse.uchicago.edu

Second, Carron Little and Judie Anderson will both be presenting work at the Beverly Art Walk on October 3rd. Judie Anderson will be holding Open Studio so check out her amazing work. Carron Little will debut her Neighborhood Magic.  More information about her piece here: http://www.beverlyarts.org/events/neighborhood-magic-carron-little-featured-artist-beverly-art-walk-2015/

Check out more information about the Art Walk here: http://www.beverlyarts.org/

There's a lot going on in the next few weeks. These are just two of many awesome art events you should check out!

Bechdel Test for Music

A coworker recently told me about an article about applying the Bechdel Test to music.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Bechdel Test, it's a basic test about gender bias in a film. A film passes the test if 1) There are at least two women 2) They have a conversation 3) They talk about something other than a man. Sadly, most films fail this test.

Pitchfork came up with an alternative version of the test. Instead of movies, one applies it to a playlist of music. The rules are below:

1. "Have at least one female-identifying lead performer, performing as themselves or a female-identifying likeness
2. Involve the female self, another woman, other women or otherwise an implied female audience in the song’s lyrics
3. Have a central lyrical topic or theme that’s something or someone besides a man."

It's a low threshold but it's quite hard. I've been trying to put together a playlist of ten songs for the past 45 minutes. I've come up with the following list. It's not a perfect list nor the necessarily best songs by the artists. But I think there is something to this test.

Carolina Chocolate Drops - "Leaving Eden"
Ani De Franco - "Jukebox"
Neko Case - "Margaret v. Pauline"
Heart - "Dreamboat Annie"
My Brightest Diamond - "She Does Not Brave the War."
Nellie McKay - "Mama and Me" 
Ditty Bobs - "Sister Kate"
Anna & Elizabeth - "When I was a Young Girl"
Nina Simone - "Four Women"
Erin McKeown - "The Lions"

Try it yourself and see how you do. Here's the original article: http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/699-a-bechdel-test-for-music/